#jews

In Part One, we looked at Adolf Rosenberger’s success as a businessman and racer, his seminal role in the creation of Auto Union, and his vital role in the founding of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche’s design agency in 1931. We also reviewed how increased persecution of Jews in Germany after Adolf Hitler took power in 1933 led to Rosenberger’s 1935 arrest by the Gestapo, his subsequent release (no thanks to the Porsches), and his leaving Germany for good in 1935.

In Part Two, we’ll look at Rosenberger’s life after Porsche.

In 1936, Rosenberger first visited the United States and eventually emigrated there, changing his name to Alan Arthur Robert. He tried his luck looking for work in the auto industry in Detroit, but moved to California after failing to find opportunity in the Motor City.

Last week, we pondered a semi-subtle Nazi-themed decal applied to the rear window of a Volkswagen CC (that obviously blocked the driver’s rearview of history). After we posted that piece, another reader supplied the image above, which shows a Volkswagen GTI sporting a novelty plate that directly links the Führer’s People’s Car with the Nazi execution of nearly 6 million Jews.

Are Volkswagen fanboys the most likely car enthusiast group to show full-on anti-Semitism?